


The Pureblood Princess

by SiriusLove1994



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Animagus, Arranged Marriage, F/M, Fluff, Humor, Marauders, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Mystery, Other, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Pureblood Culture (Harry Potter), Pureblood Society (Harry Potter), Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 17:09:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29612688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SiriusLove1994/pseuds/SiriusLove1994
Summary: Adelaide Rose Fawley, a member of the sacred 28, was widely known as The Pureblood Princess, a name she personally detested. As the heiress to the Most Noble and Ancient House of Fawley, she grew up amongst the proud, noble, and prejudiced. She was raised to conform to the beliefs that contradicted every fiber of her being. She acted her part well. But what will it take to break free from the expectations of her family? With war and darkness on the horizon, Adelaide must discover the power of friendship and love. The power of doing what is right verses what is easy. And that people are rarely all that they seem.
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black & Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 4





	1. Innocent Beginnings

The grand marble ballroom of Fawley Manor glowed in the warm light cast by the floating candles and glistening chandeliers.

Women in gorgeous gowns fluttered and flowed across the dance floor as men in perfectly tailored dress robes led them in a waltz. Goblets clinked and laughter rose above the lively music.

Everyone looked so happy and untroubled.

So very unlike how Adelaide Fawley felt.

Adelaide wrung her fingers together, trying to keep the smile on her lips as her stomach twisted in discomfort. She hated these sacred 28 parties. The dancing wasn't so bad, but she hated the people, the crowds, the chit chat. She wanted nothing more than to run up to her bedroom to read... preferably in her cozy nightgown with a steaming cup of tea—

"Adelaide, your dress looks soooo pretty..." Cleo Greengrass whined, disappointed.

Adelaide blinked away from the dance floor to her... well  _ friend _ would have been too strong a word. Cleo was more of an acquaintance, if anything. Their parents had forced them into having tea parties periodically ever since they were in nappies. And though Cleo was the least snobbish of her circle of acquaintances, eleven years had done nothing to deepen the relationship beyond clothes and crumpets.

Cleo might not have shared Adelaide's love of reading, but in fashion she was an expert (or as expert as an eleven year old could be on such matters). Adelaide's gown was, admittedly, very pretty.

Floor-length shimmering silk, the same deep green as her eyes—a symbolic expression of the house they would both soon call their own. It was only made more stunning by Adelaide's pale blonde, nearly white hair, falling in loose curls down her back.

"Yours looks pretty too, Cleo," Adelaide said quietly.

Cleo frowned down at her bubblegum pink dress as if she didn't believe her. "Mmm... I think I'm going to go see if there's any eclairs left on the desserts table..."

Adelaide opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. Cleo hustled away. Adelaide thought about joining her, but her eye caught instead on something, or rather  _ someone.  _ A boy, specifically, lurking in the corner of the room near a gaudy flower arrangement.

Dark hair fell in his eyes as he reached—

"Adelaide! What are you doing?" a woman hissed cooly, grabbing her by the arm.

Adelaide jumped and let out a small squeak of fright. "I was—I was just—"

Her mother rolled her hazel, hawk-like eyes, lips pursed. "Come, I don't want you running underfoot."

Adelaide followed after her mother dutifully, successfully hiding her dread as they approached a handsome woman with cruel features.

Walburga Black was rather frightening. Maybe it was her unpredictable nature or her flair for the dramatic, but she always made Adelaide feel uneasy.

Nonetheless, Adelaide played the part of the smiling, accomplished daughter well in these situations. She was the perfect picture of Pureblood excellence, which her mother took pride in showing off to her friends (if for no other reason than to make her friends feel inferior for not having such a son or daughter).

Adelaide, for the sake of her parents, always did exactly what was expected—which in this  _ particular _ instance meant that she kept her mouth shut and looked pleasantly pretty as the women chattered away.

The conversation started out boring enough. Her mother was going on and on about how excited they were for her to be going off to Hogwarts—at how sure they were that she'd excel in classes and be the pride of Slytherin. Walburga seemed more excited to get her son out of her home.

Then the conversation took an unpleasant turn.

"Ah yes... It's a shame they've outlawed muggle hunting, Cathryn," sighed Walburga Black to her mother.

"Indeed," her mother replied with a cold laugh, her burgundy wine sloshing in her crystal goblet. "Although, I imagine it won't hold up much longer..."

Walburga lamented on some happening in the ministry, but Adelaide didn't hear what she said, distracted instead by a small scene unfolding across the foyer.

Walburga's husband, Orion Black, a tall, dark, and dreadfully intimidating man, was pulling a boy, their son, behind him, hand gripping his arm tightly. It was the same boy Adelaide had spied sneaking around the flower arrangements... and she had more than an inkling that the two events were linked.

Sirius was  _ always _ getting himself into trouble.

Orion was speaking in hushed tones, but they were close enough that she could make out the gist. Apparently, Sirius had tried to steal one of the flowers for the fun of it. Hardly a scandal. Adelaide doubted her parents would have even noticed. But still the man scolded the boy, ordering him to behave himself 'or else'. Another boy, Regulus, the younger of the two, stood awkwardly by, watching their interaction with a pained expression.

"—Personally, I'm more concerned about those filthy half-breed abominations—" Her mother's words snapped her focus back to the present conversation. "I don't see why we don't exterminate the lot and be done with them."

Adelaide gulped hard, willing herself to stay calm. It wasn't anything she hadn't heard before, after all.

"Muggle filth and half-breeds... can you believe the ministry allows our kind to breed with them?" Walburga said in obvious disgust, adding in a gagging sound that she certainly wouldn't have made had she gulped down quite so much wine.

An electric current was pulsing through Adelaide and she clenched her fists. But it wasn't working.

Ignore them, she thought to herself. Just ignore them. But how could she ignore them when they spoke of such horrible things?

Adelaide looked away from the two women. Maybe if she found her father—maybe if she just—

"Won't be a problem for long, Walburga Dear—A new order is being proposed at the ministry."

"To exter-exterm—" Walburga struggled to get the words out through the slurs and hiccups.

"No," Cathryn said tersely. "Not to exterminate. Not yet... but it's a step in the right direct—"

The glass on a nearby table shattered and Adelaide jumped with a squeak backing right into her mother.

"Oh, my! Mimsy! Mimsy clean up this mess!" her mother ordered, summoning their blue eyed house elf and shooing her daughter away.

Adelaide stared at the glittering shards of glass in abject horror.

It was her.

It was her fault.

Her accidental magic.

Her hands began to shake, her breath short in the too tight gown. 

She had to get out of there.

"Probably Flora and that horrible temper of hers," her mother hissed to Walburga. "I was just telling Filip the other day that he should—"

"Mother," Adelaide said, voice breaking. She cleared her throat, avoiding her mother's glare for interrupting. "Um... may I be excused... I-I need to use the ladies room."

Cathryn eyed her carefully, and for a heart stopping moment Adelaide felt sure she knew it was her fault that the glass broke and not Aunt Flora... But then her mother nodded. "Find your father afterwards, he'll be cross if you neglect him all evening," she drawled.

Adelaide nodded back, trying to hide her relief by looking away. However, instead staring off into the bustling gala, she met Sirius's eyes across the room. He was alone again and he was staring at her with what looked like a chocolate eclair in his hands. Which was odd. But she didn't have time to think about a flower thieving, eclair devouring delinquent. She needed to get out of there.

She weaved and pushed her way through the bumbling crowd towards the back of the grand manor. It was getting late, which meant everyone's balance was deteriorating as their volume increased. There were several elbows that came entirely too close to her head, and one man with frightening red eyes and a dark suit nearly stepped on her, but she was small and quick enough to avoid them.

It wasn't ladylike to run, but she was terrified.

Terrified that she'd hear another awful conversation—that she wouldn't be able to control her magic if she did.

Terrified that someone would find out what she'd tried so hard, for so many years to hide.

Once out of sight, in a hidden hallway that connected the ballroom to the back wing of the manor, Adelaide yanked off the uncomfortable shoes her mother forced her to wear and pulled up her skirt so she could sprint out the French doors to the back garden.

Her lungs heaved and her throat burned as her bare feet thumped against the long worn path past groaning oaks, pines, and beeches. It was only when the music from the party was nothing but a distant echo in her mind that the tears began to tumble down her cheeks, hot and stinging.

Tears of anger? Sadness? Frustration? Or was it from the relief of finally getting away?

Adelaide didn't know. All she knew was that her perfectly constructed mask was falling to pieces... just like the goblet she'd unwittingly murdered.

The path curved and continued on, but Adelaide halted her journey when she reached a long, ivey ensnared wall. She reached her hand past the foliage, grappling and pulling at the ancient metal door latch. A hidden door creaked open, and revealed the world that lay just beyond.

Glittering, shimmering fairy lights, iridescent floating flowers, and gravity defying enchanted shrubs flowed in a nonexistent wind.

Adelaide had reached her garden. Her safe place. The glowing embodiment of hope that grounded her and brought her back to reality when she reached her lowest moments, which these days was happening more often than she would have liked.

She couldn't help it though. Every time her parents went on about "muggle filth" and "half-breeds" it made her so horribly upset she could do little else than run away.

It's not like she could tell them.

They could never know she didn't agree with them.

The thought of them finding out she believed anything apart from what they did... well it was unthinkable. Her shame alone would annihilate her.

Adelaide's feet let themselves to a nice, familiar spot on the dirty ground beside her favorite purple flowers. She sat, wrapped her arms around her legs, and finally let her tears fall without restraint, grateful for the safety granted within those ancient walls.

The garden itself was actually a ruin of an old wing of their home. For years, it was nothing but a ugly part of their estate that they avoided... until Adelaide  _ begged _ her parents to turn into her own magical escape, that is.

The idea was Inspired by her favorite nanny growing up, Ethel Weasley. She was a warm and loving young lady, who gave the  _ best _ hugs... She was also one of the few nanny's who would read to her. Adelaide's favorite story, a muggle book called  _ The Secret Garden _ , was the main inspiration behind her own garden. 

Her parents never found out about the muggle book, so they never questioned why Adelaide asked them for her own secret spot for her birthday that year. However, they  _ did _ find out that Ethel had more 'rebellious views' about blood purity, so needless to say, she was soon asked to leave her post.

The garden wasn't the only thing changed by Ethel's tenure at Fawley manor.

Although Ethel had only been her nanny for six months, she completely changed Adelaide's views on muggles, and in extension, her parents.

Adelaide learned through those precious stories that Muggles weren't the magic stealing monsters her parents made them out to be, and that humanity had more to do with character than blood.

But she couldn't just tell her parents they were wrong. She was a good daughter. She did what she was told. She refused to disappoint them, even if it meant hiding a part of herself from them.

Sitting on the dirty ground, surrounded by beautiful, luminescent, purple flowers, Adelaide dabbed her tears with the hem of her long gown, feebly trying to regain her composure. Deep breaths. In. Out. In. Ou—

"Excuse me... are-are you alright?" said a voice.

Adelaide nearly jumped off the ground, scrambling backwards, sticking her head into a bush. "Ow..." she grumbled, rubbing her head and plucking out an errant leaf.

She stared up, expecting to see her parents, or an adult, or, even more oddly, Ethel for some strange reason. But it wasn't any of those.

It was Sirius.

It was Sirius?

He was about the same age as her, though much taller. His black curly hair fell into his grey eyes as a little breeze blew through the dimly lit garden. Those bright grey eyes which had stared at her from across the room only minutes before now bore into her with a striking amount of intensity.

"I-I'm fine," she mumbled, hiding her tear stained face.

She wished he would go away and save her from any further embarrassment. How did he even find her secret place? The entrance was difficult to locate, even if you knew where you were going. She decided he must have followed her, and honestly didn't know what to think of that.

Footsteps crunched as he slowly crossed the garden path, narrowing the distance between them. Then there was warmth at her side.

He sat next to her in silence as she sniffled and hiccuped. She knew it should have been weird. It  _ was _ weird. She really should have moved away, but it was sort of cold and having him next to her was sort of nice. Especially since he wasn't bugging her with small talk.

She peaked up and saw him staring at her again.

Maybe it wasn't so nice.

They hardly knew each other and the thought of him, a boy especially, seeing at her worst was enough to make her want the ground to swallow her up whole.

Sirius, being caught, blinked a few times with a stupid look on his face then averted his eyes. It was dark, but Adelaide detected a slight flush of color at his cheeks. He sat awkwardly looking at the ground, opening and closing his mouth. Adelaide wiped her face with the back of her hand and wondered if he was going to talk to the dirt of something.

His eyes snapped back up, this time looking at her hand as he began his patting his person and searching his dress robes.

Was he always this much of a spaz?

He pulled out a green and white handkerchief and shoved it in her face.

Adelaide glanced between his face and the fabric several times, hoping this wasn't some sort of joke. But eventually she took it from his grasp with a trembling hand.

He smiled.

Just a little smile, but it counted.

Adelaide looked away, wiping away her tears.

"You're lying," he said quietly after a moment.

Now it was Adelaide's turn to stare.

"W-what?"

"You're lying," he repeated casually."You said you were fine... but you're not."

He was right.

She didn't even know if he knew how right he was.

Obviously if she was blubbering like a big baby something was wrong... but it went deeper than that.

She had everyone fooled into thinking she was this perfect example of Pureblood excellence, but she was nothing more than a fraud. She hated everything that her parents, their friends, that whole party stood for.

Her own cowardice made her sick.

But she couldn't let  _ him _ know that.

"I  _ am _ fine," she said firmly.

Sirius gave her an annoying, significant look, as if to say 'Obviously not,' but let the matter go and silence enveloped them, punctured only by the summer breeze rustling the trees.

Sirius stayed there at her side for a very long time. Much longer than she expected. It's not like they were friends. This was the most they'd ever interacted. She wouldn't even categorize him as a true acquaintance. They simply knew  _ of _ each other, as most Pureblood children did.

But he did stay. Quiet and warm at her side until she finally found her composure and was ready to re-enter the party within. Well, as ready as she would ever be. (She still couldn't wait to go read in her room with that cup of tea).

With a deep breath and some last minute adjustments, she and the odd boy stood up and walked back inside without a single word.

When they reached the ballroom he ran off, literally, no doubt towards something that would get him in even more trouble than before and Adelaide found her father and stood at his side, smiling as if nothing had ever happened.


	2. The First September 1st

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adelaide's arrival at Hogwarts doesn't quite go as planned.

A great billowing puff of steam blasted through the bustling platform, sending a lock of Adelaide's feisty hair out of place.

"Now, you make us proud, alright, dear?" Adelaide's mother said fretting over the pins in her daughter's hair. Adelaide winced as she jammed one a little too forcefully back into place.

"She'll be fine, Cathy," her father said with a small chuckle, placing a hand on his wife's shoulder.

Her father was... _chuckling_? September first was a strange day indeed.

Adelaide could count on one small hand the number times she'd heard Filip Fawley chuckle in public. He wasn't a mean man, per say, just... distant. Intimidating like her mother. Certainly not the type to chuckle.

What was stranger, though, was that she felt such dread on what should have been a very happy day.

All around kids were grinning and throwing their trunks onto the scarlet steaming train... and here she was, wanting nothing more than to go back home.

It was pathetic.

It's not like her parents really _knew_ her... or even particularly _liked_ her. They just liked the idea of having a prize to show off.

But still... home was home. Hogwarts was scary and foreign and full of people she didn't know.

Her father chuckling about her going off to school for months and months, seemingly unbothered, like he wouldn't even miss her certainly didn't help things.

She swallowed the lump in her throat. She would not let her face betray her.

However, her father must have noticed a change for he took her mother's seat on the bench whilst her mother struck up a conversation with Cleo Greengrass's mother across the platform.

He smelled of pipe smoke and peppermints, placing his hand on hers. "Sweetie... you'll be just fine," he said softly. "Hogwarts is wonderful."

Adelaide shook her head.

She didn't know why she was shaking her head.

He was probably right.

He was always right.

He continued. "You just mind your manners and stay close to your friends in Slytherin. They'll look out for you."

She shook her head again, this time more forcefully, probably jostling those pins out of place again. "But what if I—I don't—"

_What if she didn't get into Slytherin..._

She snapped her traitorous mouth shut, grinding her teeth together. She couldn't finish that sentence. Nope nope nope.

Her father's deep set blue eyes fell upon her as if he knew what she was going to say. For the first time in her life, she prayed he wouldn't show an interest in her thoughts.

She _had_ to be a slytherin.

The train whistled loudly.

Last call.

Her stomach flipped and out of the corner of her eye Sirius ran, leaping and laughing onto the train with another boy with dark hair.

How had he made friends so quickly?

"Now, now, Adelaide... enough of this nonsense," her father said, warmth evaporating as he rose from the bench. "You're going to be perfectly fine—Let's hurry up and get you settled."

* * *

Walking into the castle was just as awe inspiring as her father said it would be. The floating candles and the general magnificence was dazzling... but Adelaide couldn't help feeling that she missed out on something important the ride up there.

She didn't mind sitting alone in her own compartment—she brought plenty to read and even finished the charms textbook she'd begun the week before. But seeing everyone paired off and chattering away as if they'd been friends for ages while she stood by herself made her feel quite lonely. Even Cleo had found a new friend to whom she whined about the ugly uniforms.

Sirius and his new friend, a gangly boy in glasses with messy hair that would have infuriated Walburga, were the chummiest of them all—sniggering and pointing, and obviously speaking poorly of another sickly looking boy with unwashed hair.

Soon though, their chatter died away as the sorting began.

It wasn't nearly as bad as she expected it to be. One of the older kids at the gala the week before, Bellatrix Black, lied and said you had to go through an obstacle course to find out which house you'd be in.

There were no dragons to fight here though, just an old talking hat that they put on your head and shouted out the houses.

One by one a stern looking professor at the front of the room called out students' names, and one by one they hopped up to the front to sit on the three legged stool, waiting for the hat to decide their fate.

Micheal Avery, a particularly annoying boy whom her parents always invited over, was one of the first—Slytherin, of course.

Then there was a nice girl named Amelia Bones who had offered to let Adelaide sit with her and her big brother on the train (Adelaide politely declined). She was sorted into Hufflepuff—the Hufflepuffs, including her brother, seemed quite chuffed to have her join.

And then it was Sirius's turn.

Adelaide wished she could feel as carefree as he looked, jumping up to the front, grinning at his new friend. There was only one moment, as he sat, that he looked the least bit worried—when he glanced at the Slytherin table.

The hat took a while.

Much longer than it had for the other kids.

People were starting to become restless in their seats, whispering behind their hands. Adelaide began to worry the hat had fallen asleep or malfunctioned or something.

Until finally, it spoke, or rather, _shouted_.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Sirius grinned in relief.

But Adelaide felt as if the world had fallen on its axis.

No.

No that wasn't right.

That—that couldn't be correct.

There had to be a mistake. Sirius was a _Black._ He was supposed to be a Slytherin... same as her.

The Gryffindor table was yelling and hollering and making room for him and he seemed all too happy to join them.

There was something within her that stirred seeing his joy. Something traitorous. A little voice whispered, 'If Sirius can go against tradition... why not you, too?'

Nope. Nope. Nope.

No.

She had to stuff that little voice away... far, far away.

Her parents expected her to be a Slytherin and so a Slytherin she would be.

She couldn't disappoint them.

The little crowd of first-years began to dwindle. Sirius made room at the table for a red headed girl named Lily who was also sorted into Gryffindor, but she sat somewhere else.

Then, as Madge Farley went waltzing off to Slytherin, the woman called out, "Fawley, Adelaide."

Adelaide didn't move.

She froze, sick to her stomach, face emotionless as her heart nearly beat out of her chest.

If Cleo hadn't given her a little shove, she might have stayed rooted in that spot for the rest of eternity.

She walked with slow, careful steps (she was prone to tripping when nervous) towards the tattered hat. Halfway, she chanced a small peek to the side.

Bad idea.

Everyone was staring at her.

Her anxiety multiplied tenfold, nearly making her fall off the stool from trembling.

She took a deep breath and the last thing she saw before the hat covered her vision was Sirius giving her a little thumbs up.

The next moment was a blur. She briefly felt the hat flipping through her mind like someone flipping through a book, memories and feelings flashing past at such an alarming rate that she felt as if she was spinning on her tree swing back home.

The nausea returned, her ears were ringing and she couldn't register what the hat was whispering.

But she had no trouble hearing what he finally shouted.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Adelaide came very close vomiting in front of the entire staff and student body of Hogwarts.

This was wrong.

This was very wrong.

She couldn't be—there was no way it would actually—

"Ma'am... there—there's been a mistake..." she whispered, voice shaking as she looked up at the professor.

"The hat is never wrong, dear."

Adelaide blinked back tears, throat hurting. "No—but I _can't_ —"

There were a few delayed cheers as the woman gently guided her forward towards... towards _Gryffindor_ 's table.

They all patted her on the back and said generically nice things, congratulating her on joining 'the best damn house' as one burly ginger boy put it.

Somehow, she thought her parents would disagree.

The hat had already begun shifting through another victim's mind when Adelaide finally sat in the only free spot available... the one beside Sirius.

"Fancy seeing you here," he whispered.

Adelaide ignored him and stared at an empty golden plate, hands balled into fists beneath the table.

She would not cry again.

Not in front of everyone at least.

But one little tear did fall when she thought of how horribly disappointed her parents would be when they heard the news. Then another when she realized she wouldn't have the automatic friendship and loyalty the Slytherins were known for.

She was on her own.

She quickly wiped her tears with her sleeve, letting her long pale blond hair fall like a curtain around her.

"Fawley..." Sirius whispered, nudging her with his elbow. "Hey... Fawley..."

Adelaide scooted away, not the least bit interested in talking.

Sirius scooted closer, whispering loudly. "Fawley... Why did the unicorn cross the road?"

Everyone's attention was on some redheaded girl (Olivia? Lydia?) who'd been sorted into Ravenclaw, the table beside them roaring with cheers, yet Adelaide stared at Sirius. He had a little lock of curly black hair falling in his eyes. " _What_?"

"I said... why did the unicorn cross the road?"

"I don't—I don't know..."

"Because— it wanted to say hello to its _neigh_ bors..." he whispered, grinning. "Get it?" He nudged her arm again. " _Neigh_ bors?"

Adelaide blinked then slowly shook her head. The corners of her mouth quirked upward without her consent before she pulled them back down to a frown. "That was the _worst_ joke I've ever heard, Black."

Sirius grinned wider, watching a grinning blond Hufflepuff boy run and nearly trip trying to get to his table. "I've got worse ones."

"Impossible."

"What do ogres eat for breakfast?"

"Bogies?"

"Eggs _ogre_ -easy."

Adelaide giggled loudly then slapped her hands over her mouth, eyes wide. An older student down the table with a shiny pin on their robes glared at them.

"You're going to get us in trouble..." she hissed, a smile still ghosting upon her features.

Sirius shrugged with a small satisfied smile of his own and resumed watching the sorting ceremony.

They didn't talk much after that. Well _Adelaide_ didn't. Sirius talked a lot. Turned out his friend from the train, James Potter, became a Gryffindor as well and they had about a bazillion things left to discuss.

Adelaide listened quietly as she ate, feeling a little out of place since she was the only one not chit-chatting... but grateful because she really hated small talk which was about 90% of the conversations being had.

To her right a few girls in her year were discussing their parents and Adelaide felt the nausea from before return.

"Dad works in the ministry!" a tan brunette girl with big pretty brown eyes said—Adelaide was reasonably sure her name was Mary. "He works with the Quidditch league to plan stuff or something and Mum sells coffee downstairs! What about you Marlene?"

Marlene had a lot of freckles, pretty honey blonde hair, and blue eyes the color of sapphires. She also wasn't smiling. "My dad works for the ministry too... Mum is just a mum..." she shrugged.

There was an awkward pause.

"My dad's an engineer," said Lily, the redhead who wouldn't sit next to Sirius.

Adelaide didn't know what an engineer was.

"Does he work at the ministry?" Mary asked, head falling to the side.

"Um... well no... he works for a company... they make faucets and things like that..."

"Is he a muggle?" Marlene asked bluntly.

Lily nodded, finishing her bite of chicken before speaking again. "Both my parents are—but I've known I was a witch for a while. My best friend, Sev, is a wizard—Slytherin—and he told me loads of stuff."

Adelaide sat a little straighter, excited for the first time that evening. "You're a mudblood!" she said brightly.

A blond boy across the table gasped and the air suddenly became tenser. Adelaide looked around, wondering what had happened... only to realize they were all looking at her. Marlene was trying to vaporize her into dust with her mind—Mary's eyes were wide, mouth in an 'o'—the nameless strangers around them were downright disgusted—and Lily's eyes were narrowed into bottle green slits.

She'd obviously said the wrong thing.

" _What_ did you just call her?" Marlene spat.

Adelaide sputtered incomprehensibly, face hot. She couldn't even remember her name, much less what she'd said to earn such scathing scowls. "I—I—"

"Muggle born," Sirius said suddenly at her side. "She meant muggle born."

Marlene's glare shifted to Sirius.

Across the table, James pushed his glasses up his nose. "Who's excited to explore the castle?!" he said. "I heard there's a hidden swimming pool!"

Adelaide let out a little breath of relief when the conversation drifted to what everyone was most excited for that year, though she still could feel people (mainly Marlene) giving her dirty looks when they thought she wasn't looking.

"James says we're not supposed to call them mudbloods..." Sirius whispered at her side. "Said it's a bad word... you're supposed to say muggle born."

Of course she'd said the exact wrong thing.

She was actually excited to meet someone who was... muggle born. She'd never met anyone like that before.

And now Lily probably thought she hated her.

"Great..." Adelaide muttered, hiding her face in her hands again and wishing Marlene's vaporizing glare had finished the job.

Sirius nudged her side again. "I did the same thing on the train," he added, taking a bite of pumpkin pie. "James nearly choked on a peppermint toad," he laughed.

Adelaide did a sort of sad, half-laugh and peeked at him behind her fingers. "Anything else I should know?"

Sirius thoughtfully chewed his pie, glancing at James for inspiration. "Mmm... probably..." he shrugged.

* * *

The way to the common room was complicated.

Adelaide didn't know how she was going to make it to and from classes without getting lost—why didn't the prefects give them maps?

The common room itself, however, was cozy and warm, in one of the tallest towers in the castle (meaning she'd be hiking up lots of stairs for the next seven years). There was a large fireplace flanked by two large windows and surrounded by squashy armchairs and a big sofa.

"The notice board will tell you of any house events," the prefect girl explained. "Mixers, study groups, Quidditch trials—"

James's eyes lit up and he grinned at Sirius.

"You'll be given your time tables for classes tomorrow at breakfast—" The prefect then went on to explain where the girls and boys dormitories were and some basic rules—but Adelaide missed most of it thanks to Sirius.

"Fawley!" he hissed, nudging her in the ribs.

She was getting sick of him doing that and elbowed him back, whispering, " _What_?"

"You're having breakfast with us in the morning," he stated more than asked.

"Who's _us_?"

"Me and James."

Adelaide frowned at the other boy. His glasses were crooked on his long nose and she wondered if he even owned a hairbrush. They weren't her first choice... but Lily and Marlene were still giving her dirty looks. Her options were either to sit with Sirius the troublemaker and his weird friend or eat all by herself.

"Alright," she sighed.

* * *

The next morning, Adelaide quickly dressed and made her way downstairs to meet Sirius. He was sitting alone on a sofa, curly hair elegantly disheveled.

"Morning, Fawley," he yawned as she walked into the common room.

"Good morning..."

"Ready for breakfast?" he asked, grabbing his bag.

"Where's your friend?"

He yawned again. "He went down already. I said I'd wait for you."

Adelaide eyed him suspiciously. He was being really nice. Just like he had been the night before telling her that lame joke when she'd been crying.

It was weird.

He was weird.

But he was the only person she knew, and the only other sacred 28 kid in Gryffindor... so weird would have to do.

As they walked down to the great hall, Adelaide kept one hand on the banister, eyes trained on her shiny black shoes, trying very, _very_ hard to not trip.

When they neared the fifth floor landing she peeked over at Sirius. He was clearly not as worried as she was about tripping. He had woken up and practically skipped down the stairs, swinging his arms, looking around in pleasant awe at all the different portraits and paintings that littered the walls.

He caught her looking at him and she immediately moved her gaze back to her feet, face stony and impassive.

"So..." he began, as if he was waiting for her to say something meaningful.

"So..." she responded in a similar manner.

There was a short pause.

"Do you think they'll send howlers?" he asked casually. There was no need to clarify who _They_ were.

Their parents.

Nausea hit her like it had the evening before. She was thankful her stomach was empty.

When she didn't respond, Sirius stopped walking. "You're not used to getting in trouble, are you?"

She stopped as well, staring intently at a painting of some wizards at a birthday party and shook her head. 

He hopped down two steps to the next landing and stood in front of her so they were eye to eye. "Just follow my lead, Fawley... I'm an expert," he grinned.

Somehow that didn't surprise her.

Adelaide furrowed her brows and felt her lips quirk upward again. "If you say so..." she said with a nervous laugh.

* * *

“Oi! Took you long enough!” James hollered upon their arrival at breakfast, mouth full, fork of dripping pancakes flailing in the air. “You two took so long I thought you got lost.”

Adelaide sat across from him while Sirius sat at his side. “Yes! Pancakes! My favorite!” Sirius exclaimed, flopping a big heaping stack of the fluffiest pancakes Adelaide had ever seen on his golden plate as if he hadn’t eaten in days. Adelaide was content with some oatmeal. 

“Scary lady in the hat’s passing out schedules,” James informed them, pouring some maple syrup all over his new-friend’s breakfast, much to Sirius’s delight.

“Her name’s McGonagall,” a boy at Adelaide’s side informed them quietly. He was obviously tall for his age, but sat hunched over, as if he was trying to fold himself smaller. The morning sun flickered in through the artificial sky onto his frizzy, sandy hair. “She’s our head of house.”

Sirius craned his neck down the long row of students to the front of the hall where the stern witch who had conducted the sorting ceremony passed out time-tables and spoke with students. “She reminds me of this old cat my brother used to have,” he announced, going back to his meal. By his tone, Adelaide gathered he wasn’t much of a fan of the old pet. 

“I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve met…” the boy at Adelaide’s side said. She turned and realized he was addressing her. “I’m Remus.”

The first thing Adelaide noticed were the scars. Faint lines slashing through a smattering of freckles and a few blemishes, over the bridge of his nose and towards his amber eyes. In truth, they weren’t _that_ noticeable. Perhaps if she hadn’t been so close, or if his face wasn’t in the sunlight she may not have given it much mind. But as it was, she _did_ notice, and though she’d never be so rude as to point it out, she did wonder what could have caused it-- a badly behaved rabbit?

“I’m Adelaide,” she said politely. 

He smiled a little then looked down at his food, fiddling with his fork. 

“Where’s the other bloke?” James asked, looking around, glasses as askew as his black hair. “Little guy-- What’s his name again, Paul? Patrick?”  
  
Sirius crammed a large bite of pancakes in his mouth. “Percy?” he mumbled. “Pierre?” 

“Pablo?” said James.

“Peter,” Remus said at last. “His name’s Peter.”

“That’s it!” James exclaimed. “Say, you’re pretty good with the names!” 

Remus poked at his eggs, smiling shyly. 

Adelaide stirred her oatmeal, carefully adding some brown sugar and bits of green apple and quietly listened as James and Sirius began going on and on about the castle, all the paintings and ghosts, and silly rumors they’d heard about the grounds. 

“My cousin Bella told me there was a monster living in the attic or something,” Sirius said in hushed tones. James’s eyes widened and Remus’s head popped up. Adelaide rolled her eyes. “Said it attacks students from time to time--”  
  
“Wouldn’t--” Remus began a little loudly before lowering his voice. “Wouldn’t people _know_ if something like that happened? It’d be in the news… or something...”

“She said Dubledore tries to hush it up so parents don’t pull their kids out,” Sirius said, shoveling food into his mouth once more. 

James glanced up at the grey old wizard munching on a blueberry muffin at the front of the hall, then shrugged. “Yeah, he could have a thing for monsters.” 

Remus frowned, slowly losing color in his face, hand trembling slightly. Of course, the other two idiots were enjoying their spooky story so much that they didn’t notice it was bothering him. 

“Bella’s a liar,” Adelaide said simply. All eyes landed on her and she flushed. “She-She told me that there was an obstacle course to get sorted.”

Remus’s shoulders relaxed, if only by a small fraction. James and Sirius shrugged this bit of information off. 

“Well,” James started importantly. “My dad’s _not_ a liar and _he_ said there was a swimming pool and that--”

Just then, with a tremendous clanking and whooshing, the owls came pouring into the hall, flapping in all directions, letters falling from the sky. 

“Ah! Nice! Post’s here!” James exclaimed. Moments later, a large box tied with string landed in front of him. 

“What is _that_?” Sirius asked. 

“Care package, I’ll bet,” James said, tearing off the brown paper. 

Sirius furrowed his brows, narrowly dodging one elderly owl. “A what?”

“A care package?” James laughed. “You know, it’s where they send you sweets and stuff from home so you don’t get homesick-- Ah look! Seems Remus has one too!” 

Adelaide didn’t feel homesick. She just felt sick. 

Less and less owls were fluttering in… Any moment now… 

While James was trading biscuits with Remus, a letter landed in Adelaide’s cold oatmeal. Elegant lettering upon the yellowing parchment. She had only just picked it up with trembling fingers when a big, rather cross looking black owl swooped in and dropped a bright red, smoking envelope in Sirius’s puddle of pancake syrup. 

Sirius stared at the letter with a blank expression, blinked, then looked at Adelaide’s and blanched. 

James noticed. “Wait a minute, is that a Howl--?”

Sirius snatched the red envelope and ran full force out of the great hall, pushing past some loitering Hufflepuffs and through the doors. 

James looked on in shock. “What in the name of Merlin’s dirty draws--Oi!” he hollered as Adelaide grabbed her letter and raced after him. “Oi! Where are you lot _going_?! We haven’t even gotten our time-tables!” 

“I’ll be right back!” she yelled back at him. 

She darted out of the hall towards a nearby empty corridor, listening, for some sign of which way he’d gone. 

That’s when she heard it. A furious, cold voice reverberating through the empty corridors. She caught bits and pieces: “SHAME OF MY FLESH--VILE CHILD--HOW _DARE_ YOU--BIRTHRIGHT! SULLYING OUR FAMILY NAME BY--NOTHING BUT A _DISAPPOINTMENT_!” 

The voice had stopped by time Adelaide found Sirius, hiding in a damp broom cupboard beside a large dust bunny. Sirius stared at a little pile of ash with the saddest expression Adelaide had ever seen on his face. The door creaked closed behind her and she sat down across from him in silence. 

For the first time, she realized why he was being so weirdly nice to her the night before.

They were in the same boat.

Two purebloods who had been flung into Gryffindor. They’d be presumed blood-traitors merely by association. They’d turned their backs on centuries of tradition. And they were the only ones who could truly understand what the other was going through. 

He knew she was sad because deep down he was sad too.

It was her turn to cheer him up. Only... she didn't know any lame jokes, so instead she said, "Sirius, she is quite the poet that mother of yours. Excellent use of the word 'putrid'. Ten points to Slytherin!"

He looked over at her in disbelief with a small, unspoken ‘thank you’ in his smile that grew the longer he looked at her. 

"Well, your turn then!” he chuckled softly, pointing at the letter gripped in her sweaty palm. “I'm always curious to hear how other people berate their children. It's awfully boring to hear the same types of scolding over and over.”

Adelaide felt a wave of nausea roll over her once more. Logically, it couldn’t be as bad as what happened to him-- at least her letter wouldn’t be _screaming_ at her-- but still, the fear was messing with her mind. 

“Best to just get it over with, Fawley,” Sirius said, poking at the ash pile with his wand. “Trust me. I’m the expert, afterall.” 

Adelaide took a deep breath and read the letter. 

“Well?” Sirius asked after a minute, scooting to sneak a peek. 

Adelaide frowned and wadded the letter into a ball in her hand. 

“Not good?” Sirius guessed. 

“They think it was a mistake,” she said quietly, shrugging. “They’re going to contact the school--try to have them change me into Slytherin…” Her father also mentioned something about her mother being upset over her prospects at a future suitor and to not ‘consort with any unsavory persons’ (i.e.: muggle borns) until things were ‘sorted’, but she thought it was best to leave this unsaid. 

Sirius hummed. “ _Was_ it?” he asked. 

“Was it what?”

“Do you think it was a mistake?” he asked. “Being put in Gryffindor.”

Had he asked her the night before, her answer would have been yes, of _course_ it was a mistake. She said as much to McGonagall the moment after the sorting. But now… 

“Was it a mistake for you?” she asked.

Sirius twirled his wand in his hand absently, making little red sparks shimmer in the dusty space between them. “I don't think so,” he said. “I didn’t really care what I got, though.”

Adelaide tossed the crumpled ball on the floor. Her parents were disappointed, yes, but courage, chivalry, determination? Those didn’t sound like such bad things. Whether or not it was true, part of her _wanted_ to be courageous… desperately so. 

“I don’t think the hat makes mistakes,” she said quietly. 

Sirius smiled back at her, curly hair falling in his eyes. “Me neither.” 

“You wanna see something cool?” she said, pulling her elm and mother of pearl wand out of her robes. 

“Tut tut, Fawley,” Sirius grinned. “You heard what the scary lady said, ‘no magic in the corridors'.”

“But _technically_ we’re not in a _corridor_. We’re in a broom cupboard.”

Sirius laughed. “Spoken like a true troublemaker-- Maybe there’s hope for you after all.” 

Adelaide giggled and focused on the bit of parchment, the last physical remains of their disappointment. “ _Incendio_!”

The paper burst into flames. 

"Woah..." Sirius's grey eyes were big, looking from the letter to her. "That was _so_ cool!"

“Thanks,” Adelaide blushed, surprised the spell worked as well as it did. She’d only just read about it on the train ride there. 

“Think you could teach me that one?” he smirked. “You know, in case I get anymore mail?”

“I’ll think about it,” Adelaide laughed. 

Sirius grinned as he rose to his feet, reaching down a hand to help his new friend off the floor. For that's what they were now. Friends. Real friends. "Ready to head back to breakfast?"

Adelaide eyed his hand for a moment before reaching out.

"Sure," she smiled softly.


End file.
